• Eight Chinese power companies are donating equipment to mitigate loadshedding to South Africa as part of a new understanding between the countries.
• The deal was struck by the minister of electricity during the BRICS Summit currently ongoing in Johannesburg.
• At least 500 hospitals, clinics and other public facilities around the country are set to benefit from generators, solar power batteries and power supply vehicles from China.

As the fifteenth BRICS summit gets underway in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa is already seemingly reaping the benefit of the international cooperation alliance between itself, China, Brazil, India and Russia.

A newly inked deal between Minister of Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and eight energy entities from China will see the Asian country donate equipment to at least 500 public facilities in the country in order to mitigate some of the effects of loadshedding.

This equipment includes uninterrupted power supplies, generators, power supply vehicles, and off-grid solar energy storage systems. Hospitals and clinics will be among the first to receive donated equipment.

The memorandum of cooperation that will see the gear donated to South Africa was signed during the events of the BRICS summit underway this week, according to a report by SA News.

“Yesterday we exchanged letters in relation to the technical equipment that will be assisting us to provide sustainable electricity to some of the major public installations like clinics, hospitals and police stations. We are going to get 552 of those units [and] 450 of them are already on the way,” explained Ramokgopa.

“[The equipment] ranges from 6kw up to 200kw [and] 200kw can support a clinic and a medium-sized hospital so this is true relief to the South African people,” he added, thanking the Chinese.

Eight companies in China signed the memorandum with the minister, including:

• State Grid Corporation of China,
• China-Africa Development Fund,
• China Energy International Group,
• China General Nuclear Power Corporation,
• China National Electric Engineering Company, Ltd.,
• Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.,
• TBEA CO., LTD.,
• and Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organisation.

Ramokgopa explained that China has the capacity to dole out such donations because of its power grid is more stable, and much larger than South Africa’s.

“The amount of renewables they have is twelve times the size of Eskom. They are sitting on extensive amounts of liquidity,” he said.

“We can tap into that financing which is concessional and cheaper than any other. They [also] have the biggest installed capacity of nuclear of any country in the world.”

The minister shared that these Chinese power entities have been sending reports to South Africa on “how best we can improve the issues of performance of the coal-fired power stations,” as well as how to limit technical issues on the grid and properly add new renewable energy sources.

While 2023 has seen the most power outages in the country’s history, Eskom has managed to add more renewable sources to the grid this year than any before it.

Even more megawatts of power are set to arrive by the end of the year as Eskom’s only nuclear power station returns one of its units to service after a year’s worth of maintenance.

[Image – Presidency South Africa on X]